A response to the recent misleading “Deadly Alliance” report implicating convenience stores. By Seth A. Mailhot, Special Counsel, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP. This is the first of what will be a continuing series on the regulation of tobacco retailing. In future articles, I will address the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) regulation…
Lighting Your Way to Profitability
When sold responsibly, lighters are a dependable source of revenue, even as the number of smokers declines. Lighters are a much-needed tool for the home grill and candles. Another trend helping push lighter sales in c-stores is flavored cigars, which continues to grow at an impressive rate. “Tobacco accessories are alive and well, evolving with…
Understanding What Your Customers are Buying
MSA and Paradigm Sample, in partnership with Convenience Store Decisions, examine the market basket of 18-34-year-old convenience store shoppers. By Trish Temmerman, Contributing Editor. Numerous reports are being written about connecting to and interacting with the Millennial (18-34 year-old) generation. These Millennials, numbering 71 million-plus according to the 2010 U.S. Census, are a key shopper…
Cigarette Tax Changes Proposed For Rhode Island
State lawmaker looks to reduce cigarette tax to keep smokers shopping inside Rhode Island. Rhode Island Representative Robert Philips is calling on the state to slash its cigarette tax by $1 to encourage smokers to shop local instead of crossing state borders to buy smokes in neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut, thus keeping tax dollars in…
Cushion Tipped Cigars
From one of America’s leading cigar brands comes an exciting new line of products: Cheyenne Cushion Tipped Cigars. Cheyenne Cushion Tipped Cigars. are a larger cigar offering full flavor, wine, vanilla and wild cherry styles in a five-count pack. The cigars represent a new standard from the brand you count on to offer high-quality products…
Building New Tobacco Sales
Retailers and government officials butt heads over handmade cigarettes. By Pat Pape, Contributing Editor Celeste Lucas likes to smoke, but she doesn’t like paying $5 a pack for cigarettes, so she took matters into her own hands and purchased a roll-your-own cigarette machine. Using loose tobacco and paper tubes, she can now create an entire…
Imperial Tobacco Introduces Commonwealth – Altadis Inc.
Commonwealth – Altadis, Inc. strengthens competitive position with total tobacco focus and larger sales force. Altadis U.S.A. Inc. and Commonwealth Brands Inc., both owned by Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, have come together to create a new sales and distribution company called Commonwealth – Altadis Inc. (CAI), offering consumers and customers a high quality range of…
FDA Issues Warning Letters To Tobacco Retailers
More than 1,200 retailers that sell tobacco receive warnings about violations. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent warning letters to more than 1,200 retailers, the majority of which respond to violations relating to selling tobacco to minors, as part of its ongoing effort to reduce tobacco use among children. While most retail establishments…
NACS 2011 Japan Tobacco International
Japan Tobacco International is the international tobacco business of Japan Tobacco, the world’s third largest industry player. JTI offers convenience retailers several ideal product offerings including; WAVE that offers high profit potential and impactful POS, ExportA a premium offering with a product guarantee and WINGS, a high quality cigarette at a lower price point. Learn…
Driving OTP Sales
While cigar sales do not approach those of cigarettes, they offer convenience stores better margins. Plus, new flavors and competitive pricing are keeping customers interested in the category. By Joe Bush, Contributing Editor. Other tobacco products (OTP) in general and cigars in particular continue to earn more shelf space in convenience stores, and the higher…